ARM Drives Global Design Activity as Synopsys Joins ATAP Program

CAMBRIDGE, England and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)], the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions, and Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), the technology leader for complex IC designs, today announced that Synopsys Professional Services has joined ATAP(TM), the ARM® technology access program. Under the terms of the agreement, Synopsys' design centers in Reading, UK, Tampere, Finland and Hsin-Chu, Taiwan will provide system-on- chip (SoC) design services for its semiconductor customers creating solutions based on the ARM® microprocessor architecture.

``The wide range of design services we provide our customers often involve the integration of IP cores,'' said Glen Jones, director, Strategic Partnerships, Synopsys Professional Services. ``This gives us tremendous synergy with ARM and significant expertise in addressing ARM's key vertical markets. We look forward to our participation in the ATAP program and the expanded value it brings to our mutual customers.''

Providing a comprehensive range of design services for ASIC, FPGA and COT (customer-owned tooling) designs, Synopsys Professional Services specializes in high-performance and complex designs, particularly for wireless and networking applications. Synopsys was selected to join the ARM ATAP program because of its design experience and tools expertise. Initially, Synopsys' centers in Reading, Tampere and Hsin-Chu will act as ARM design centers, with additional centers in other geographies expected to join the program in the future.

``There is very high demand in the market for ARM core-based design capability and ARM is committed to providing industry-leading support to the steadily growing number of developers who are designing SoCs based on our microprocessor technology,'' said Dave Lewis, ATAP program manager, ARM. ``We currently have 15 Partners in the ATAP program addressing a broad range of applications. With Synopsys joining the program, we continue to add global support and specific design skills so that our ATAP Partners can continue to develop and deliver leading-edge solutions.''

About the ATAP Program

There are currently 15 Partners in the ATAP program, with a resource of more than 2,000 engineers available to work on ARM core-based SoC designs. ATAP design Partners must go through a strict qualification process to become an ARM Approved Design Center. This includes a design flow audit, training on implementing designs with ARM cores, tools, AMBA® interface peripherals and development techniques. Each Design Center must demonstrate its own unique skills in specific technology domains, as well as end-market expertise. The ATAP program also provides additional benefits such as geographic and time- zone locality and local language support. For more information on the ARM ATAP program, please email info@arm.com or visit the ARM Web site.

About ARM

ARM is the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. The company licenses its high-performance, low- cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals, and system-on-chip designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM's microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming the volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions. More information on ARM is available at www.arm.com.

About Synopsys Professional Services

Synopsys Professional Services directly contributes to the success of leading electronics firms worldwide by delivering the technology, methodology and expertise to solve their most demanding SoC development challenges. Synopsys' comprehensive portfolio of services covers all critical phases of the SoC development process, as well as systems development in wireless and broadband applications. Leading edge development demands close collaboration, and customers are offered a variety of engagement models from methodology- driven project assistance to full turnkey development to best fit their business and project needs.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), headquartered in Mountain View, California, creates leading electronic design automation (EDA) tools for the global electronics market. The company delivers advanced design technologies and solutions to developers of complex integrated circuits, electronic systems, and systems on a chip. Synopsys also provides consulting and support services to simplify the overall IC design process and accelerate time to market for its customers. Visit Synopsys at http://www.synopsys.com.

ARM and AMBA are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. ATAP is a trademark of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. ``ARM'' is used to represent ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and Nasdaq: ARMHY); its operating company ARM Limited.

Synopsys is a registered trademark of Synopsys, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

Contacts: Michelle Spencer of ARM, +44-1628-427780, michelle.spencer@arm.com; or Patrick Hall of The Townsend Agency, +1-858-457-4888, ext. 112, phall@townsendagency.com, for ARM; or Isela Gamboa of Synopsys, Inc., +1-650-584-1644, igamboa@synopsys.com.